A good friend of mind shared this with me. I'm not saying we are there or even headed in that direction but the parallels are there.

The 14 Characteristics of Fascism

   The following is an exerpt from "Fascism Anyone?", an article appearing
in the Spring, 2003 issue of "Free Inquiry" magazine written by political
scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt.

    Dr. Britt studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini
(Italy),
   Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the
   regimes all had 14 characteristics in common, and he calls these the
"identifying characteristics of fascism".

  The 14 characteristics are:

  1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make
   constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other
   paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing
   and in public displays.

  2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of
enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are
persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of
"need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture,
summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

  3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people
   are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a
   perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities,
   liberals, communists, socialists, terrorists, etc.

  4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic
   problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government
   funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military
   service are glamorized.

  5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost
   exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender
roles
   are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and
   anti-gay legislation and national policy.

  6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the media is directly controlled by
the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by
   government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives.
   Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

  7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool
   by the government over the masses.

  8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist
nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to
manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from
   government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are
diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

  9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy
   of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders
into
   power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship
and
   power elite.

  10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is
   the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either
   eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .

  11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to
   promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It
is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even
   arrested.  Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and
governments
   often refuse to fund the arts.

  12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the
police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are
often
   willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the
   name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually
   unlimited power in fascist nations.

  13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are
   governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to
   government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect
   their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes
   for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even
outright
   stolen by government leaders.

  14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a
   complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns
   against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of
legislation
   to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and
   manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their
judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.